Lana Del Rey - Lovebox 2012 review
'She can certainly captivate an audience'
Photographer:Laura Callan
Howard Jones - 18 June 2012
The moment Lana Del Rey broke in the UK she looked like a bona fide popstar ready to make a big impression
and as she emerges to the Lovebox crowd on Sunday afternoon, she looks fresh out of a Grazia photo shoot, every inch the style
icon.
The set kicks off with 'Blue Jeans' as Lana prowls confidently, commandeering the fans at the front of the
stage. 'Born to Die' has fans mouthing every word as the morbid tone of her music leaves the crowd divided between the fans
that are absorbed and the rest that feel flat.
The New Yorker may polarize opinion but immediately it is clear
how meaningful her music is to a lot of people in the audience as fans mouth along with every word, as if reading it off a
hymn sheet. The set showcases her sumptuous voice against the simple components of a string section and a pianist, carrying
a feeling of intimacy that is hard to maintain in big outdoor crowds.
Her music continues to engage her most dedicated
fans but it lacks bite in a festival arena where the funereal tone and gentle pace mostly fail to ignite a reaction.
'Video Games' is a natural highlight, with the gorgeous piano loop and Lana’s lovelorn lyrics putting people into
a trance. The song climaxes to a falsetto vocal as she breaks the trance but whether she is trying to depress or not, the
songs cannot help but mellow people out on a Sunday afternoon.
The majority of songs from her debut get an airing,
with tales of gangsters and lost loves playing up to the mystical aura that surrounds her persona.
The set, if
nothing else, proves Lana’s stage presence as she demands attention with her natural charisma. It is with this asset
that she can produce a set of this slow pace in a fast paced festival arena, that she can still carry the crowd right through
to the end. Yet, the converts and doubters are probably left unchanged after this.
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